


Snuff

by littlekittykanny



Series: Maribat Song-fics [1]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Damian Wayne tries his best to be a good hero, F/M, Hence the title, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Marinette figures out Damian is Robin, So don't freak out, There is no character death, accidental reveal of chat, despite the title being snuff NO ONE DIES, i just took it and RAN, it took over my heart and soul, my dad is a metalhead and sometimes i hear songs i really like, not entirely Adrien friendly, people say fuck in this fic, salt over the fact that NO ONE CALLS OUT BAD BEHAVIOR when it comes to sunshine boy, so be aware, there is vulgar language though, this is based off of Slipknot's song Snuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-17
Updated: 2019-09-17
Packaged: 2020-10-20 13:06:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20675870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlekittykanny/pseuds/littlekittykanny
Summary: “My dear Solitude, my name is Hawkmoth. Your friends left you alone to suffer? The boy you loved abandoned you? Join me, and I’ll let you give them a taste of their own medicine. You’ll be able to have Adrien Agreste all to your-”“Shut. The. Fuck. UP!”Both Hawkmoth and Chat had been taken back by Marinette’s outburst.“THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT, YOU SICK PSYCHOPATH! IF I DIDN’T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT YOUR FUCKING AKUMAS EVERY OTHER FIVE MINUTES, MAYBE I COULD HAVE DONE SOMETHING! I COULD HAVE DEFENDED MYSELF. I COULD HAVE OUTED HER WITHOUT FEAR OF RETALIATION BY SOME SUPERPOWERED FUCK TRYING TO KILL ME! IF IT WASN’T FOR YOU THAN MAYBE HE WOULD HAVE BEEN ON MY SIDE!”Marinette had felt herself reach her breaking point and had continued to rage.“IF IT WEREN’T FOR YOU, I WOULD HAVE NO PROBLEM SHOWING EVERYONE HOW MUCH OF A LIAR LILA ROSSI IS! BUT NO! BECAUSE I HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT SOME GROWN-ASS MAN WITH APPARENTLY NO LIFE MAKING MY CLASSMATES HIS SLAVE THE SECOND ONE OF THEM FEELS A NEGATIVE EMOTION! YOU ARE THE REASON MY LIFE IS A LIVING NIGHTMARE! I DON'T CARE ABOUT ANY OF THAT ANYMORE! I'M TIRED OF CARING! I DON'T WANT HIM ANYMORE!”





	Snuff

**Author's Note:**

> This is a song-fic based off of the Slipknot song "Snuff". I heard it while I was listening to the radio with my dad and thought, "This would make GREAT angst!" so here we are. I will continue working on the Pokemon AU, I promise! It's just this little plot bunny came and burrowed itself into my head, and I couldn't make it leave until I'd finished it.
> 
> Maribat pairing was originally created by Ozmav, so all credit to them for the pairing!

_ Bury all your secrets in my skin _

_ Come away with innocence, and leave me with my sins _

_ The air around me still feels like a cage _

_ And love is just a camouflage for what resembles rage again... _

Five years…

Five fucking years she’d been putting up with everything. All the lies. The taunts. The bullying. The isolation. Smiling through it all, keeping her composure, being the bigger person. Never again, she swore to herself quietly. She was too tired to be everyone’s goddamn saving grace. She was too tired to be their punching bag anymore. 

Marinette Dupain-Cheng had had more than enough of her so-called friends. 

The dark haired girl would no longer accept their fake affection or pity. They had all believed that lying brat over her, and honestly that was their own fault. She’d tried to warn them, but only got angry words and brutal torment for her troubles. All she wanted to do was protect her friends. Marinette knew how devastated they would be when they learned Lila was playing them for fools.

But that didn’t hurt anyone, right Adrien?

Marinette let out a bitter laugh, one hand striking the ledge she was sitting on.

Adrien Agreste. The boy she once loved. The boy who promised to have her back. The boy who smiled at her and continued to talk to her like they were friends. The boy who refused to stand up for her. The boy who sat back and watched Lila and her sheep pick on her. The boy who didn’t HELP HER.

The boy who was also Chat Noir. Her partner. The one who was always supposed to be beside her. The one who was always supposed to help her. The one who had patiently listened to her sorrows until Lila came along. The one she had wound up loving almost as much as Adrien.

The one who broke her heart.

_ So if you love me, let me go. _

_ And run away before I know. _

_ My heart is just too dark to care. _

_ I can't destroy what isn't there. _

_ Deliver me into my fate - _

_ If I'm alone I cannot hate _

_ I don't deserve to have you... _

She didn’t know how Chat/Adrien felt about her. She didn’t know if he’d grown to love her Marinette side as Chat the way she had grown to love Chat through her interactions with him as Marinette. She knew he loved her Ladybug side...or at least he claimed too. Would he still love Ladybug when he figured out who she really was? When he figured out she was the girl he’d abandoned?

She didn’t want to know anymore. She didn’t care anymore. All she could feel was an anger burning deep in her soul. After all the tears she shed for all of them, Adrien especially, this was how they treated her? After all she’d done to ensure they knew she loved and cared for them? After wondering if she was really deserving of the love and praise they’d given her before? After all the care she’d taken to nurture and cultivate her relationships with them, they truly believed she would just destroy everything? 

That she would be consumed by her jealousy and lash out like Chloe? That she’d lie and twist them around her little finger so they’d do her bidding like Lila did? That she’d sit back and do nothing while someone hurt the people she loved like Adrien? 

No. Marinette wasn’t that type of person...but she guessed that didn’t matter to them. Perhaps she was better off alone. She couldn’t ‘ruin’ anything then. She wouldn’t have to worry about feeling worthy of them. Her parents would worry of course, but how could she explain just what had dimmed their little girl’s spark?

Marinette was just so tired. She was so angry. She was so lonely.

_ My smile was taken long ago _

_ If I can change I hope I never know _

The last time she’d spoken to Alya, the brunette had told her that if she just changed her attitude they could be friends again. The class would be her friends again if she’d just be nice to Lila and stop picking on her. Then came the straw that broke the camel’s back.

“Adrien’s too nice to love a bully! If you really want a fair shot at him, you’d better be nicer to Lila. If you can’t change then maybe Adrien would be better off with someone kinder than you."

Marinette had thrown Alya out of her house after that. She had stopped smiling after that. She had allowed the numbness to take her, trying to protect her delicate heart. That had been almost two years ago. She still felt cold every time she thought about it.

Nothing could make her feel warm. Nothing could take away the emptiness gnawing at her insides as she stared out into the night sky. She threw her legs over the edge of her balcony, turning her body in the direction she’d been looking. She thought about how Chat would sit like this sometimes while talking to her.

The tears finally began to drip when she thought about Chat. 

_ I still press your letters to my lips _

_ And cherish them in parts of me that savor every kiss _

_ I couldn't face a life without your light _

_ But all of that was ripped apart when you refused to fight _

Originally, she’d been thrilled to learn her pun-loving, dorky partner was her long time crush. She’d had hope that he could learn to love Marinette as much as he loved Ladybug, especially since he’d only increased his visits with her once she learned of his identity.

It had been an accident that Chat revealed himself to her. Another sentimonster had been on the loose and had roughed her poor kitty up quite a bit. He had been hit hard enough that he was forced to transform back. Adrien had told her he’d barely made it to her roof before the transformation dropped. When Marinette had asked him why her roof, he’d just given her that damned smile and told her that he trusted her to keep a secret.

Part of her had been guilty she didn’t out herself then and there to him, but Marinette’s instincts told her that she needed to keep her secret. It was risky enough with her knowing who Chat was, so she’d kept her mouth shut. So she had pretended things were still the same between them, though she had become more comfortable around Adrien. They had become best friends, even passing notes to each other during class to talk.

Even more in love with the blond, she’d kept every note. She’d been so happy. Marinette had even bent a little as Ladybug, hoping to soften the blow when Adrien discovered that Marinette hadn’t told him her identity when she knew his. She’d allowed him to be more affectionate with her as Ladybug, as well as being more affectionate with Chat as Ladybug.

She’d loved Adrien for his warmth, his kindness, his energy. He was like sunshine to Marinette...at least until the clouds came. Adrien had told her that he would have her back with Lila. He told her that the only thing that mattered was that they knew Lila was lying. At first she’d gone along with it, not wanting to make things worse...but then Lila had escalated.

The lies had gotten bigger. Lila was beginning to claim Marinette had injured her physically or that she had stolen something of hers. Her classmates began to get physical in their retaliations. Marinette actually had hand shaped bruises on her arms from where Alya had grabbed her after Lila claimed she was trying to hurt her.

Adrien saw the bruises. Adrien watched them tear apart her sketchbook. Adrien watched her become the victim and did nothing. Nothing but praise her and tell her that she was such a good person for being the bigger man, for taking the high road with all of this. He reassured her that Lila would get bored and move on eventually, so there was no reason for a fuss, right?

And then she tried confiding in him, while he was Chat hoping that perhaps his answer was influenced by having to keep a good reputation in public. It wasn’t.

_ So save your breath, I will not hear. _

_ I think I made it very clear. _

_ You couldn't hate enough to love. _

_ Is that supposed to be enough? _

_ I only wish you weren't my friend. _

_ Then I could hurt you in the end. _

_ I never claimed to be a saint... _

Marinette’s heart shattered then and there.

She completely snapped, lashing out all the pent up anger and rage.

“HOW CAN YOU SAY HE’S RIGHT? LOOK AT ME CHAT! LOOK AT ME! I HAVE BRUISES FROM WHERE MY CLASSMATES PUSHED ME INTO THE DESKS, THE LOCKERS, BASICALLY ANYTHING HARD! THEY’VE DESTROYED MY PROPERTY, TAKEN AWAY MY SENSE OF SAFETY-”

“But Princess, you know Lila could be akumatized if she was exposed-”

“WHAT ABOUT ME, CHAT?”

“What about you, Mari?”

“DON’T CALL ME THAT! ONLY MY FRIENDS CAN CALL ME THAT! WHY IS IT THAT ONLY LILA MATTERS? WHAT ABOUT ME? DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY TIMES I’VE ALMOST BEEN AKUMATIZED OVER THIS?”

And as she raged, a little black butterfly had appeared overhead. Chat had looked at her in horror, trying to calm her down, but Marinette had just kept screaming. She had told him about her feelings of loneliness, of isolation. She had told him about how she was so tired of fighting and just wanted to give up. She had told him about how hard she’d tried to be good enough. She had told him about how she was tired of feeling worthless to everyone around her.

_ Ooh, my own was banished long ago _

_ It took the death of hope to let you go _

That was when the akuma had infused itself with one of her hair ribbons.

Marinette had gone deathly still as she heard Hawkmoth begin to speak to her.

“My dear Solitude, my name is Hawkmoth. Your friends left you alone to suffer? The boy you loved abandoned you? Join me, and I’ll let you give them a taste of their own medicine. You’ll be able to have Adrien Agreste all to your-”

“Shut. The. Fuck. UP!”

Both Hawkmoth and Chat had been taken back by Marinette’s outburst.

“THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT, YOU SICK PSYCHOPATH! IF I DIDN’T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT YOUR FUCKING AKUMAS EVERY OTHER FIVE MINUTES, MAYBE I COULD HAVE DONE SOMETHING! I COULD HAVE DEFENDED MYSELF. I COULD HAVE OUTED HER WITHOUT FEAR OF RETALIATION BY SOME SUPERPOWERED FUCK TRYING TO KILL ME! IF IT WASN’T FOR YOU THAN MAYBE HE WOULD HAVE BEEN ON MY SIDE!”

Marinette had felt herself reach her breaking point and had continued to rage.

“IF IT WEREN’T FOR YOU, I WOULD HAVE NO PROBLEM SHOWING EVERYONE HOW MUCH OF A LIAR LILA ROSSI IS! BUT NO! BECAUSE I HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT SOME GROWN-ASS MAN WITH APPARENTLY NO LIFE MAKING MY CLASSMATES HIS SLAVE THE SECOND ONE OF THEM FEELS A NEGATIVE EMOTION! YOU ARE THE REASON MY LIFE IS A LIVING NIGHTMARE! I DON'T CARE ABOUT ANY OF THAT ANYMORE! I'M TIRED OF CARING! I DON'T WANT HIM ANYMORE!”

The dark haired girl had balled her fists so tightly that her fingernails had actually begun to cut through her skin. Her slate grey eyes, normally filled with light and warmth, had become filled with rage, scaring Chat a little bit. He had warily watched her as she took several deep breaths in and out. 

“I swear to all things good in this world, Hawkmoth, if I ever find you I will give you the thrashing you deserve. Now get the fuck out of my head. I refuse to work with a slime ball who can’t fight his own battles,” Marinette croaked.

That made the akuma fly off faster than she had expected. She had been able to tell it had surprised Chat too.

“...Princess? You fought off the akuma? But how! You were so upset-”

“You think that just because I’m angry I’ll willingly hand myself over to that psycho? After all the people he’s hurt?” Marinette had bit back. “I’m not so angry that I would give over my free will to that bastard. Now please leave, Chat. I give up trying to explain this to you.”

He hadn’t liked that response at all.

“Me-owch, Mari! I don’t want to leave you until I know you’re going to be okay. We’re friends after all! I told you that I have your back, so let me help!” he had snapped at her.

_ So break yourself against my stones _

_ And spit your pity in my soul _

_ You never needed any help _

_ You sold me out to save yourself _

_ And I won't listen to your shame _

_ You ran away - you're all the same _

_ Angels lie to keep control... _

“You never had my back.”

“That’s not true, Princess! I know Lila’s lying too! I feel the same way you do! She’s really annoying!”

“Do you even understand what it means to be there for someone? What am I even saying? Of course you don’t. You’ve never had to before. Sure, you stuck up for Chloe, but if there is one thing I know about Chloe Bourgeois is that she’s made of steel and venom. She can take care of herself, but I can’t. I’m not Chloe. I can’t threaten people with my dad if they try to hurt me,” Marinette had hissed.

She had taken another set of deep breaths, not wanting to deal with Hawkmoth again, before continuing.

“Having my back means actually helping me. Not letting them shove me into lockers. Not letting them take my things. It means calling them out for their poor behavior. You could have told them they could think I was a bully all they wanted but that it wasn’t right to bully me. You didn’t have to call Lila a liar to have my back. You just had to act. Something you never did.”

Chat had looked like he wanted to argue with her, but she hadn’t given him a chance to say anything.

“They hurt me, Adrien. They hurt me, and you stood there and watched. Friends don’t let this happen...not friends who actually care. Now please, go away.”

What had occurred next made her chest ache even worse than before.

Adrien had actually grabbed her shoulders and shook her **hard**.

“I couldn’t, Marinette! You have to understand that if I got into any trouble my dad would immediately pull me out of school! Not to mention that the class would have turned on me if I started siding with you more! I was finally allowed to make friends, and I don’t want to lose them over a few lies!”

His claws had actually sunk into her shoulders, making her squeak in pain. She tried to pull away, but his grip tightened every time Marinette attempted to get away. He continued to yell about how important school and his friends were to him, so he couldn’t step out of line ever, not even to defend her.

“You’re going to lose all of them. After all, you’ve already lost me.”

Those words had made Adrien let go of her shoulders in shock.

“Princess? C’mon Mari! You don’t really mean-”

“I do mean it. Go away, Adrien. You made your choices. You chose the easy way out. You chose to stand aside and watch me get hurt rather than be my friend. I want to go to bed, so please go away.”

Adrien’s face twisted into a scowl, and as Marinette tried to turn away to go inside, he had grabbed her right wrist and twisted hard. Marinette had let out a cry, but then something amazing happened.

Another figure had dropped down onto her roof suddenly, causing Adrien to let go of her. They had both turned to look at their interloper, but before Adrien could react, they had lashed out. Marinette had watched in shock and awe as the stranger took down Adrien before he could do much of anything.

Despite her anger, Marinette had winced when the stranger had stomped on Adrien’s chest before snarling at him.

“I believe the lady asked you to leave. So. Get. Lost.”

“Who are you, and what makes you think you can interrupt my conversation with my Princess?!” Adrien had choked out. “We were just talking-”

“The bruise starting to form on her wrist and the claw marks you left on her back say you were doing more than talking. I’m already sorely tempted to skin you like the mangy flea-bag you are, so don’t push it.”

As the two stared each other down, Marinette had finally gotten the opportunity to look at her rescuer. She had been shocked to see a boy about their age, possibly as tall or a little taller than Adrien. He had a hood up over his head, but she recognized the insignia on his chest. What was Robin doing in Paris?!

He hadn’t given her the answer until he’d chased Adrien away from her balcony.

“Batman and I are here on League business. We had some downtime, and I decided to swing around Paris. I heard you screaming and came by to see if you needed help. You handled yourself pretty well, so I just watched, but then he twisted your wrist…”

“You thought I needed help.”

“Comes with the territory. He hurt you pretty badly. Do you have bandages or do I need to use my own? I wasn’t kidding when I said he left claw marks in your shoulders.”

It hadn’t been until Robin reminded her of her injuries that she actually began to feel any pain. She had been able to vaguely feel sticky warmth on her back from where Adrien had been holding her. When she hadn’t responded, Robin had asked her for permission to treat her wounds.

By the end of it all, Marinette had bandages on both of her shoulders and her wrist wrapped up tight. Robin had carefully instructed her on how to take care of her injuries before wishing her a good rest of her night. Little had he known that Marinette saw him resting on a building nearby, watching her balcony and scanning for any stray cats.

She had slept peacefully for the first time in a long time thanks to him.

_ Ooh, my love was punished long ago _

_ If you still care, don't ever let me know _

_ If you still care, don't ever let me know... _

“Malāki? You really shouldn’t sit like that.”

Marinette turned her head and gave a sad smile.

“Afraid I’ll jump?”

Robin scowled at her before mumbling that that wasn’t a funny joke. He gently wiped her tears away before giving her a small, reassuring smile.

“Sometimes I wonder if it is a joke anymore…”

That made the masked teen raise an eyebrow in what Marinette had learned was concern. His lips pressed into a thin line before he asked Marinette how he could help which didn’t surprise her. He had been more than helpful the past few days keeping Chat away from her balcony, and Adrien couldn’t confront her at school about it. She’d felt at least a little bit safer with his presence around.

“Unless you can walk into my school and denounce Lila Rossi as a liar without it looking like I put you up to it, there’s not much. They pick on me because they believe her lies about me,” Marinette sighed, slumping a little.

She felt warm arms wrapped around her waist and the corner of her mouth twitched into a grin. Robin really didn’t want her to fall, did he? He actually cared about her, a stranger, more than any of her friends had in the past five years. It made Marinette simultaneously happy and distraught.

“Remind me again of some of the lies she’s told, Malāki?” Robin asked, resting his chin on top of her head.

Leaning back into his warmth, Marinette relayed every lie Lila Rossi had ever told, but one lie in particular stuck out to Robin.

“Hang on a minute, did you say she told everyone she was dating a Wayne? Like, Gotham’s most famous family the Waynes?”

Marinette nodded before saying that Lila claimed she’d met them at a Wayne Gala, and that the youngest Wayne had fallen head over heels for her. She claimed not to have any pictures because he wanted to protect her from the press. Plus he was too embarrassed to be on camera, so Lila didn’t have any saved to her phone either.

“Well then, Robin can’t help you, but I do know someone who can.”

“Who?”

“The Wayne’s youngest son, Damian. We’re pretty familiar with the Waynes since they’re high profile targets, so I know for a fact that Damian isn’t dating anyone. He’d also be pretty pissed off to hear that some girl was pretending to date him too,” he said nonchalantly, even though he was seething on the inside. “He and his father are actually here for a business conference. I could probably convince him to come set things straight.”

“Robin, you don’t have to do that, but it’s very sweet of you to offer,” Marinette yawned. “ I wouldn't want to bother someone with something so small, but thank you.”

She felt herself being moved away from the edge of the balcony and towards her skylight.

“C’mon, time for you to sleep.”

“Will you stay?”

“Until dawn.”

Giving Robin a genuine smile of gratitude, Marinette wished him a good night before going into her room. Little did she know that as she was snuggling into her blankets, Robin was plotting exactly how he was going to take the lying bitch down. After all, why would she suspect that a stranger, superhero or not, would help her with such a small problem?

But to Robin it wasn’t small. Ever since the night he came across her, he’d felt a fierce need to protect her. Perhaps it was because she was one of the single most genuine people he’d ever met? She’d never lied to him. Left pieces of the story out, sure, but everyone was entitled to their secrets, and he was a stranger to her.

Perhaps it was because of her warmth, one Robin rarely got to experience. He didn’t know how, but she’d discovered that he was watching her, but she hadn’t chased him off. Instead, she invited him to sit on her balcony and gave him macrons to snack on. When he tried to refuse, Marinette had insisted because she felt bad that he was making such an effort to protect her when she’s sure he had better things to do.

Normally, he would have agreed with that statement, but not this time. Clearly this girl had been abused, and no one had done a damn thing to help her. If keeping a toxic kitty-cat away from her helped show Marinette she was worthy of more, then Robin would happily sit out their for the rest of his time in Paris. Besides, he was rather concerned about that Chat Noir coming back to hurt Marinette. 

According to local media he could find, that brat was supposed to be one of Paris’ superheroes. He was a superhero, and he’d intentionally hurt a civilian, one he apparently knew well. That didn’t sit right with Robin at all. If he’d hurt his close friend because she made him upset, what else was he capable of doing? Even if he didn’t mean to hurt her, the cat still had acted out in anger...not that Robin really had any place to talk, but at least he didn’t hurt innocent civilians. 

Robin quietly munched on the blackberry macrons she’d left for him happily while thinking about how he was going to explain this to his father. Batman had already told him to stay focused on their mission and not on pretty French girls. Robin then had to explain to his father that protecting Marinette did in fact fall under the mission considering they’d come to investigate the apparent Hawkmoth situation and whether or not there were two superheroes operating in the city.

Batman had gone eerily quiet when he reported that Chat Noir had harmed the civilian, and that the cat had returned to the scene of the crime a few times to try and get close again. After the fourth night, Robin didn’t see him anymore, and he suspected his father had something to do with that, so surely he wouldn’t be too mad if he fibbed and said he wanted to check out the school most of the akumas had been coming from.

...Though, Robin had to admit that Batman hadn’t been far off in calling Marinette pretty. She had silky dark hair that was normally kept in the most adorable pigtails he’d ever seen, and a sweet-looking face with an adorable button nose and a splash of freckles. Her eyes, in Robin’s opinion, were possibly the most enchanting part about her aside from how well she fit against him when he hugged her.

They were a beautiful slate color that practically sparkled when she was happy. Couple that with the breathtaking smile that he’d been gifted, and he’d admit he was a little smitten with her. She radiated warmth and goodness from her very being, and a part of Robin felt blessed that she didn’t take what he did as Robin personally. She’d told him off the bat that she didn’t expect him to tell her anything or expect any small talk because he had work to do and talking to a civilian could endanger the both of them. Marinette had even filled him in on Paris’ situation with little prompting and no questions as to why he needed to know.

The very least he could do was help her out.

So the very next day, Damian Wayne showed up to Collège Françoise Dupont and greeted Marinette with a warm smile. He had to fight back laughter as she not-so-quietly swore she’d get back at Robin for asking him to help her even though she said he didn’t need to. 

“Malāki, I came because I wanted to. Robin explained the situation to me, and I’m not very happy about this girl spreading lies about my family,” Damian said quickly, trying to reassure her that this was no burden on him. “I’ll set her straight once she gets here, but you’re going to have to tell me which one is Lila.”

So focused was Damian on the plan that he hadn’t noticed his mistake. He missed the way Marinette’s eyes widened slightly at the sound of that nickname. She had little to no idea what it meant- it wasn’t French or English, but she did know only one person who called her that. Her suspicions were only solidified when he took out a blackberry macron from a plastic baggy. She struggled to fight back the hope that she was correct in her assumptions, knowing that if she was wrong her heart would be crushed again.

...then again, only Robin called her malāki…and he always took every macron she made him. 

Marinette was broken out of her thoughts when Lila entered the room. She was laughing with Alya before the reporter asked, “So have you heard from your boyfriend?”

“Oh yes! Damibear sent me a letter in the mail! It was so poetic, I thought I was just going to cry! I left it at home though, that way Marinette can’t get jealous and tear it up,” Lila sighed. “He said he’s really looking forward to seeing me again! I miss him so much!”

“Really now? That’s an interesting story,” Damian piped up from Marinette’s side. “When did you meet him?”

“I’m glad you asked! I met Damibear at his family’s gala a few years ago! I was there with my mom, and while she was off talking to her embassy friends, he was kind enough to talk to me! He was terribly shy, so it did take a few moments, but once we got talking it was like magic! He writes me every day,” Lila responded sweetly.

“So, are you a new student?” Alya asked from beside Lila. “If so, you’re going to want to avoid Marinette. She can be a bully.”

Damian flashed the pair a feral smile before looking at Lila and asking, “Why don’t you ask, Lila? She should know who I am.”

Both girls stared at him in confusion until the smile disappeared and his face became hard.

“What don’t recognize me, Lila?”

The girl started to panic before calling out several names until he raised her hand.

“Let me stop you there,” Damian grinned. “You’re a liar. You’ve never been to a Wayne Gala. You’ve never met any member of the Wayne family before. You’re also not dating Damian Wayne.”

Lila started to pull out the crocodile tears while also wondering just who this guy was. She couldn’t recall him from any classes, but he spoke French fluently! How dare he try and challenge her! She turned her attention to Marinette before bursting into full fake tears.

“Marinette must have told you lies about me! How could you do that, Marinette? How could you convince him to be so mean to me!” she blubbered, looking to the room for support.

“Just who do you think you are?!” Alya demanded stomping up to him. “Marinette’s just jealous that Lila’s more accomplished than her and of all the attention she gets-”

“Who do I think I am? I think I’m Damian Fucking Wayne, blood son of Bruce Wayne,” Damian snarled. “I think I’d know if I had a girlfriend, and I can say I’ve never met this girl before today. Also, if she was really my girlfriend, don’t you think she’d be able to recognize me? After all, she did say we've been dating for like three years. I'd hope my girlfriend would know my face. I’ve got my passport and ID if you want proof.”

And true to his word, Damian showed them is identification and watched with satisfaction as the world burned. The kids immediately began turning on the brunette, who’s sickly green eyes had widened in surprise and shock. They began to connect the pieces because if she was lying about dating Damian Wayne for three years, what else had she been lying about?

He only fed the fire by pulling up the research Marinette had previously done and pointed out every flaw in every story. Damian also made sure to stay firmly in between everyone else, and Marinette, not wanting the crazy chick to lash out at her.

“If you ever try and use my name or my family’s for your own personal gain, I will get legal assistance to take you down faster than you can blink,” he growled, not breaking eye contact with the liar.

While he had been talking about her other lies, his right hand had reached out to her left. Damian gave her hand a squeeze every time she began expressing discomfort at the shitshow in front of them. He pulled her away from the crowd of angry students when the teacher stepped in to try and control the situation, “Lest they have an infestation of akuma.”

Marinette was completely blown away. He’d actually come for her. He had promised to help her, and he had. The class would never believe Lila after this, not after her stories had been so thoroughly picked a part by the son of the world’s greatest detective (if her hunch was correct).

She hugged him the second they reached the courtyard, not realizing they had an observer. Marinette cried into his shoulder about how grateful she was, and how she couldn’t possibly ever fully repay him. The longer she hugged him, the more he reminded her of Robin, and she melted into him.

The second day of Robin/Damian sitting near her balcony, Chat Noir had really frightened Marinette. After chasing him off, Damian had hugged her tightly, trying to soothe her by letting her know Chat was gone. She’d felt the safest she had in a long time in Robin’s arms, swaying back and forth.

“You don’t have to repay me,” Damian said quietly while holding her. “She was lying about me too. Besides, Robin told me how sweet and kind you were to him. He wanted to make sure you were okay, but since he can’t get involved personally, I was more than happy to fill in for him.”

Marinette pulled back and gave him one of the brightest smiles Damian had seen before kissing his cheek. 

While Damian savored that smile that made her blue eyes gleam, a certain cat felt something stirring in his stomach. Adrien had been watching the whole time, following his princess out to ensure this stranger didn’t hurt her. He watched Marinette give the strange boy the most breathtaking smile he’d ever seen, seeing her eyes light up for the first time in months. His stomach clenched fiercely as he watched this Damian Wayne ask Marinette if she’d like to hang out with him after school.

He felt something inside him break when she enthusiastically agreed. She was never like that with him. She was never this happy to go anywhere with him. It left an uncomfortable feeling in his chest that he couldn’t identify until Plagg hissed at him.

“Get back in the classroom, Adrien. You’ve done enough damage, let Pigtails be happy.”

“She doesn’t know him, Plagg! What if he hurts her! She shouldn’t be with him-”

“Then who should she be with, Adrien? Because last time I checked, Marinette wasn’t your friend anymore, and you hurt her. She blocked your number and told her parents not to let you see her. She still has her wrist splinted from the injury you caused her as Chat.”

“She was just overreacting!”

“Marinette doesn’t belong to you, Adrien. Now let’s go.”

As he sat in class, all Adrien could think of was whether or not he did the right thing. Surely she’d just been overreacting and once all this died down they would be friends again! Everyone would be just fine once Damian Wayne left, and when everyone calmed down. A bigger part of him screamed Marinette’s words over and over again.

Had he truly lost her? Had he truly lost the bright, warm light in his lonely world? Was he really going to lose his friends once they knew he hadn’t stopped Lila’s lies? Was everyone really going to leave?

“...After all, you’ve already lost me.” 

Adrien felt his throat close as he realized no one had spoken to him when he walked into the room. His eyes traveled from Alya, who had angry tears in her eyes still, to Nino, who looked so broken down and dejected, to Marinette, who was actually smiling at her phone. He had watched the Wayne boy give her his number, and it was alarmingly clear who was making her happy. He was too late...he’d lost Marinette, on of his best friends, and he was sure everyone else was to follow.


End file.
